Jurgen Klopp has said Liverpool “don’t have a lot to lose” in their Champions League quarterfinal second leg against Real Madrid at Anfield, admitting that a comeback after their 3-1 first leg defeat will be “incredibly difficult.”
Goals from Vinicius Junior and Marco Asensio put Madrid 2-0 up before half-time at the Alfredo di Stefano stadium last week, before Mohamed Salah grabbed a crucial away goal, and Vinicius added a third for the home side.
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“When you’re 3-1 down it looks like you’re already out,” Klopp said in his prematch news conference on Tuesday. “That means you don’t have a lot to lose. We’ll give it a try… It was a result which showed the performances on the night. We weren’t as good as we should have been, but it was only the first half.”
Klopp’s team pulled off a memorable European comeback in 2019 when a 4-0 win over Barcelona an Anfield saw them overturn a 3-0 first leg deficit.
“For me, the performance is much more important than the result,” Klopp said. “We have to play as well as we can and we’ll see where the result leads us… It’s about winning football games. If we’ll end up with a comeback I have no idea… if we can see it, then it’s possible, but it’s still incredibly difficult.”
Liverpool faced a less daunting Champions League challenge a year ago when they were beaten 1-0 by Atletico Madrid in their round-of-16 first leg.
They came close to turning that tie around at Anfield, before eventually losing 3-2 in extra time in their last match before the COVID-19 enforced lockdown.
Real Madrid travel to Anfield missing a number of key defensive players, with Sergio Ramos, Raphael Varane, Dani Carvajal and Lucas Vazquez all absent — but Klopp said he’s more concerned about their attacking threat, describing Vinicius as an “outstanding talent.”
“I have no idea if anybody in the world can deny Real Madrid from having any chances,” Klopp added. “You have to defend at your highest level because their offensive qualities are incredible. Their first goal was a good example, for most teams in the world that isn’t even half a chance. The pass from Toni Kroos, the first touch and the finish were incredible.”
Andy Robertson also praised Madrid’s “high quality” forward line and defended teammate Trent Alexander-Arnold from recent criticism he’s faced since being left out of the England squad.
“When world-class players don’t perform to the levels that they have done, people criticise them more than ordinary players,” Robertson said. “I know it’s hard for Trent, but he should take it as some sort of compliment.
“Of course he struggled against Madrid in midweek but we all did. Not one of us played well, but more gets said about Trent’s performance than anyone else’s.”